Immigration reform should be a priority for Congress, and lawmakers don’t have to start from scratch. They can update the Registry Act of 1929, opening a pathway to legal status for millions of people who have made the United States their home.

Before 1929, eligible immigrants seeking citizenship generally had to meet requirements such as demonstrating good moral character and five years of U.S. residency. But there was a catch: naturalization was largely restricted to white immigrants, with limited exceptions introduced later.

As the United States increasingly deemed certain immigrants “undesirable,” immigration laws evolved in ways that restricted who could enter, remain in the country, and become a citizen. The Registry Act of 1929 introduced a specific cutoff date, requiring eligible applicants to prove they had entered the United States before a designated date and met other requirements.

Congress moved that cutoff date forward several times. In 1965, Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, ending the national origins quota system that had favored immigrants from certain European countries and severely restricted immigration from much of the rest of the world. The law opened immigration opportunities to people from a broader range of countries, including Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Yet Congress did not continue updating the registry cutoff at the same pace. Although the cutoff was advanced in 1965, the next update did not come until 1986, when Congress set it at January 1, 1972. That date has remained unchanged for 40 years.

This outdated cutoff is one reason millions of people who have built their lives in the United States remain without a pathway to permanent legal status. Today, the current administration is weaponizing their lack of status to target people who have made this country their home, raised children here, and contributed to the fabric of this nation.

These are not just immigration cases. They are families, coworkers, and neighbors with deep roots in their communities. For families facing deportation, the stakes can mean a parent's absence, the loss of a household's income, and the disruption of a life built together over decades. These people deserve a fair chance to seek permanent status, not to live under endless uncertainty.

That is why we must demand that Congress update the registry and give millions of people who have spent decades in limbo, building lives and contributing to their communities, a pathway to permanent residency and, eventually, citizenship.

This reform would not automatically grant anyone a green card. Applicants would still have to meet the law's other requirements, including good moral character and applicable criminal and national security safeguards. It would open the door to consideration, not guarantee approval.

Lawmakers have a responsibility to address an immigration system that leaves longtime residents without a meaningful pathway to permanent status. We must demand that our elected representatives advance and pass registry reform.

Sign this petition to demand a fair chance at permanent residency for people who have built their lives here. Then share it so others can join the call for change.

Congress: Update the Registry Act. Give longtime immigrants a real chance to stay.